Device for operating and controlling electric automobiles.



No. 675,065. Patented nay '28, |901.

r. |r.`|.ooms` DEVICE FCR UP'ERATINGAND CCNTRCLLING ELECTRICAUTOICBILES.

(Application tiled Nov. 8, 1900.)

No. 675,065. Pal/enum may 2a, 190|.

F. F.1LOOMIS. DEVICE FOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES.

{Applicmn med Nov. s, 1900.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

FRANK F. LOOMTS, OF AKRON, OHTO, ASSTGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL FIREENGINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK,'N. Y.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,065, dated lVIayv428, 1901. Application iilel November 3, 1900. Serial No. 35.356. (Nomodel.)

Be itknown that I, FRANK F. LOOMIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for Operatingand Controlling Electric Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

My in venlion has relation to improvements in the construction andarrangement of those parts of the mechanism used for steering thevehicle, controlling the switches by which the electric current isapplied to the motors, and operating the brake of electric automobiles,and particularly that class of vehicles used for police-patrol purposes,where rapid operation of the different elements of the machine isrequired by reason of the ordinary eXigency of each call and on roadsand surfaces of great diifereuce in vcharacter and condition.

One object of my invention is to place the apparatus that governs thedifferent mechanisms aforesaid immediately in front of the driver, sothat his attention will not be diverted from watchfnlness of the, pathof the vehicle in seeking for the necessary handle, and also to placethe handles in the most convenient positions for passing the hand to oneor the other when necessary.

A further object is to render the handles so distinct in form andmovement as to permit their identification by the touch merely; and afinal object is to render the whole compact, so as to occupy the leastspace consistent with their proper construction and operation.

To the aforesaid objects my invention consists in the peculiar and novelconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and then specifically pointed out in the claims, referencebeing had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference-n umeralsindicate like parts in the different views, Figure 1 is a side elevationof the front end of a Wagon-body and ifth-wheel with a portion invertical section and showing my improved device mounted therein, andFig. 2 a section transverse to Fig. 1 of my improved device.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a portion of a wagon-body having a` door2 and a superimposed door 3, having a chamber or recess between them,this being a preferred form of YThis shaft 10 is concentricallyrevolubly mounted in a hollow sha-ft 12, which is in turn revolublymounted in the floor and superimposed floor on the body and in atop-support` ing bracket 13. The shaft 10 hears on its lower portion atight disk 14, partially inclosed in a chamber created by enlarging theshaft 12 at that point. The disk 14 has in its edge a notch arranged tobe engaged by a latch 15, pivotally mounted in ears attached to theiioor 2, and this latch is arranged to be rocked out of engagement by apush-rod 16, that projects through the door 3 in convenient position tobe pressed by the foot of the driver and is constantly pressed upward bya spring 17. The arrangement of the notch in the disk 14 and latch 15 issuch that when the latch is in engagement the vehicle will run in astraight line. The hollow shaft 12 has near its lower end and below thefloor 2 a tight collar with a radial arm, to the outer end of which isattached a rod 19, that runs back to the brake at the rear wheels, whichbrake may be of any preferred form, either band or rubber. On the upperend of the shaft 12 is a tight collar having ears 20, between which ispivotally mounted a handle 21, having a downwardly-extending bladeadapted to engage the teeth of a curved ratchet-bar 22, secured to thebracket 13.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the front axleis turned to guide the vehicle by the hand-wheel 11, and the brake canbe applied by the handle 2land re tained by the ratchet-bar 22.

Secured to the dashboard 23 is a frame 24E,

The body 1 IOO which may be al skeleton frame,` as shownor preferably aclosed box, which projects back far enough toinclose thebefore-mentioned shafts and the switch-bearing cylinder to be described.,Insularly secured in this frame are series of forked contacts 25, somebeing connected with storage batteries under the vehicle-seats, otherswith the field-magnets of the motors, and still'others with thearmatures of motors by wires 25, united in a cable 27. Revolubly mountedon the shaft 12 is a hollow shaft 28, ,that bears on its surface ranksof switch -blades 29, arranged to be brought into contact with Athecontacts 25 by the partial revolution of the shaft 12. There areinpractical use numbers of ranks of these switch-blades variouslyelectrically connectved to afford different combinations and degrees ofelectromotive force for propelling the -vehicle forward or backward; butas this is the subject of another application now pending'in the PatentOffice further description is unnecessary, the object of theillustration being to show their position with regard to the otherelements of this application. 'On the upper end of this shaft 28 is acrank-arm and handle 30 by which it is turned, and in the crank-arm is apivoted lever (not shown) y adapted to have its outer end pressed downby a rod 31 in the handle and having from its inner end a projecting pin32, adapted to rest on the cap 33 of the case inclosing the cylinder orshaft 28. This cap is divided by abrupt radial shoulders into differentspaces so arranged that when'the pin 32 encounters one orthe other someone of the ranks of switch-blades will be in connection with thecontacts 25 to give a determined combination of electrical energy to themotors; but as this vis also embodied in the before-mentionedapplication it is only stated here to show its relation to the othermechanism.

By the foregoing arrangement of parts it will be evident that the driverhas com plete control of the different functions of the apparatuswithout changing position, and from the variety in the form of theirconstruction the touch will enable him to identify-eachv withoutdiverting his attention from the path of the vehicle. I claim as myinvention- 1. In adevicefor operating and controlling` electricantmobiles, the combination with a revolnble shaft having a pinion tomesh in a toothed member of the fifth-wheel, and a handle for operatingit; an inc-losing revoluble vconcentric hollow shaft having a radial armto draw a brake-rod, a handle for turning it and a ratchet to retainsaid handle at a determinate position; and an inclosing shaftrevolubly'mounted on the brake-shaft, bearing ranks of switch bladesvariouslyconnected to produce'different degrees of electrical energy tooperate motors to cause the Vehicle to move forward or backward,incombination with electrical contacts arranged to be simultaneouslyconnected with ranks of said blades, and variously determinatelyconnected with batteries, and the field-magnets,

and armatures of motors arranged to drive said vehicle substantially asshown and described.

2. In a device for operating and controlling electric automobiles thecombination of an inner revoluble shaft and two concentric surroundinghollow shafts each being adapted to revolve independent of Athe others;each having means for so independently revolving it; one of said shaftsbeing arranged by suitable mechanism to move the front axle 0n theifth-Wheel to guide the vehicle; another to operate brakes to arrest itsprogress, and the third tooperate switching mechanism to applyelectromotive force to drive said vehicle substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

- FRANK F. LOOMIS.

Witnesses: i

DAVID PHILLIPS, E. J. RUSSELL.

